Places to stay (all inns or hotels/motels have English speaking staff)

Diver's Photos

If you've been diving with me, here's where you'll find your dive photo(s). Photos will be listed by date (mm_dd). All photos will be cycled out from time-to-time.

Please note that for diver photos, I have only used an Auto Enhancement to bring back some color that is lost with underwater photography. You will need to do any further enhancements on your own.

If your photo appears grainy or pixellated you may need to increase the "Screen resolution" for your monitor. You can do this on a PC by going to your desk top and, in an open area, click on your right mouse button; then click on the Properties option at the bottom of the menu. In the Display Properties window, click on the Settings tab and finally slide your Screen resolution up from 800 X 600 pixels to the 1024 X 768 setting. This is very safe to do and when you are done, you can easily change it back. (Sorry Mac users, but I don't know how to change this on your computer. Maybe one of you can tell me.)

Please note 2 things:

1) To download an enlargement of your photo, click on your thumbnail below.

2) After you download your photo, please contact me with a brief message so that I know it is all right to remove your photo. Or, if you want, you can ask me to leave it posted longer.

03/05 Abbie	03/05 Sara	12/19 Whitney	12/14 Steve
12/09 Niki	12/09 Brian	12/09 Linda & Chris	12/09 Julie & Kevin
12/06 Snorkeling	09/12 Julie	09/12 Gail	09/12 Bruce
07/15 Moray Eel	07/15 Jeffery	07/15 Barbara	07/15 John
07/15 Barbara & John	07/12 Anthony	07/04 Teresa	07/04 Harry
02/24 Sunset 1	02/24 Sunset 2

Your Questions Answered (and a few other tidbits)

Coral Reefs

I have been asked in various ways about how coral reefs grow and how they get to be in danger. Many are surprised to find out that corals are actually animals and not plants. Here's a little piece about the lives of the coral reefs where 25% of the world's identified marine species live occupying less than 1% of the ocean floor.

 

Life After Open Water Certification

What's the next step after becoming a certified diver?" I answer that one where I talk about the Adventure Dives. Participating in 5 Adventure Dives will make you an Advanced Diver. Check it out and if you still have questions, click here: Contact me, and send me your query.

Scuba Medicine and other musings (look below for more reflections)

XXThe underwater world is a place you can go to for solace, reassurance, to ease your being—where the water (that is not all that different from the fluids within your own body) absorbs your disquiet and gives you back your sense of comfort and well being.

XXWhen you venture underwater you are always by yourself, in your own private space. Sure you dive with a buddy but just a few feet away and yet (s)he seems also to be in their own world. You are in yours—where it’s peaceful, quiet, and your attention is mainly with you and this unique environment.

XXAnd you swim near each other, each taking in something different and then sometimes you see something together. And you go on, swimming, nearly alone…

XXAnd then you might see this tall, gray, narrow fish with long, thin, trailing fins gliding toward you. This one doesn’t seem as timid as other fish and as you move on about the reef, she finds her place moving in beside you and not too far away. You swim on a bit and you watch her as the two of you stay somewhat near each other. You check where your buddy is and continue to keep an eye on that fish. And after a while you become aware that your bubbles have a slow, rhythmic, soothing sound and you know that you’re not using as much air as you usually do. You watch the fish some more and the fish is watching you watch her. At times she comes within a foot or two and as you slowly swim on, you notice that your buoyancy has gained its own control.

XXYou have let go of uncertainty. You are at ease—only you with the gray angelfish and your buddy, just over there. You have become aware of the companionship a fish can provide and you find that you are more relaxed than you’ve felt in a very long time. How would you compare this to the effects of a blood pressure medication?

By yourself? Well, not really…

XXOften we measure the enjoyment of a dive by the bigger things we see—majestic sting rays gliding by, charming sea turtles pawing the water near us, amazing dolphins or sharks, even eels and pufferfish. But these guys don’t always show up and visibility can sometimes be limited, making it difficult to see even the more common fish and creatures we expect on every dive. So then what? Slow your pace a bit. Look around you at the smaller life. There’s always a lot to see. Consider the following few scenes that can be observed on most tropical water dives.

XX Out in the grassy sand flats that often lay near a reef you’ll find the rosy razorfish. If you’re not familiar with them, it’s a treat when you approach, to see these 3 to 6 inch fish disappear instantly, like the snap of your fingers. If you watch carefully, you’ll see that they actually scoot headfirst into the sand. They’re fast!

XX At the edge of the reef you are diving on, scan lightly but carefully over the sandy bottom. See those tiny, sand-colored, camouflaged fish skirting about as you approach them? You have to look carefully to see them. They’re small. They are probably gobies and really quite adorable little critters. You can see right through some of them. What do they tell you about how you are diving? If you come near them slowly, they’re not so fearful. They may just sit there and watch you.

XX If you see a rougher part of that sandy bottom where small stones and bits of dead coral are scattered about, check the scene carefully before getting too close. This is where jawfish make their homes. When you come near a jawfish it will usually slip into a hole in the sand, tail first, very quickly—not so if you move in quietly. But if you’re not quite slow enough you can wait a few feet away—for maybe 30 seconds or 45—until it tentatively reappears. If the jawfish is a male and is incubating a clutch of eggs in its mouth, he may show you how he churns his eggs to clean them and aerate them.

XX Feather dusters and Christmas tree worms often retreat into their tubes as you come near. When fish approach them, seemingly as casually as you do, these worms do not retreat. Calm yourself and approach them with ease. They’ll let you get a pretty close look at them. Most divers never notice the beautiful patterns they display. If they’ve disappeared from you, just like with the jawfish, wait. They take a little longer to reappear but they’ll come back.

XX When you see a fish resting, mouth opened, among some gently wafting soft coral—watch. You might witness the symbiosis of smaller, cleaner-fish darting in and out of the mouth of the larger fish—feeding on the nourishing parasites inside. What cooperation! How do they advertise their services to each other?! (Haven’t these guys ever heard of “Tom’s of Maine”?)

XX And how about the little mollusks? Flamingo tongues are common in many tropical waters. Ever remember seeing one? These white, oblong mollusks have yellow spots surrounded by rings of brown all over them. Ever watch the bivalves attached to gorgonians and other corals? They’ll stay open for you if you approach them carefully.

XX It's hard to imagine a dive that won't show you something you haven't seen before. But you really do have to control your buoyancy and speed or you won't get close enough to view what is really just a very few feet away.